


But I'll Be There For You

by BeetleQueen



Category: Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Comfort/Angst, Coming of Age, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Loss of Virginity, Middle Aged Virgins, Older Man/Younger Woman, Romance, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Virginity
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-29
Updated: 2016-10-25
Packaged: 2018-05-23 23:54:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6134404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeetleQueen/pseuds/BeetleQueen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>'I don't know why, but every now and again in my life - for no reason at all - I need you...'</p><p>Sarah and Jareth begin to spend time together outside of the Labyrinth, away from it's dangers, and it's cruel tricks. Can they forgive and forget? Or is Sarah foolish to think that the Goblin King is in any way redeemable?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sweet Sixteen

**Author's Note:**

> I had some stupid ideas that couldn't find their way into my current Labyrinth fic no matter how hard I tried to squeeze them in!

He couldn't get the impudent little witch off his mind...  
  
Jareth was becoming more and more irritable since Sarah championed the Labyrinth. His Labyrinth.  
  
How dare she?!  
  
He'd been looking forward so very much to defeating her. He wouldn't have kept the brat either way, but had he won, he would've relinquished him in a much better mood.  
  
Right now it was all he could do not to scream. Jareth swiped angrily at the foam as he bathed. He was supposed to be relaxing. Supposed to be forgetting about her.  
  
After some time the Goblin King finally started to feel his temper ebb away, just as his eyelids were slipping south. He then awoke with a start.  
  
Did he hear that right..?  
  
_'Goblin King, Goblin King, wherever you may be... My sweet sixteen is pitiful. So please come and save me?'_  
  
Sarah's voice, he was sure of it. Jareth sat there weighing up his options. He didn't even need to respond. His job as it were had nothing to do with rescuing young damsels from crappy birthday parties. But the part of him trying to ignore it made another part strangely guilty. And in quick succession, another part became angry of the fact. Livid! Why should he feel anything at all for that stupid girl?

Jareth however wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't do as she asked. His curiosity just wouldn't allow for it. He needed to see her again - give her a piece of his mind! Yes, that would do...

 

* * *

 

Sarah wiped away the tears. What a horrendous day. It was her fault she supposed for getting her hopes up in the first place. She'd imagined her sweet sixteen for years now, and over those years had built up certain expectations.  
  
Except today was literally the exact opposite in every important way.  
  
Her friends hadn't been able to make it. The boy she had a crush on got her name wrong when he declined her invitation. Toby had accidentally jostled her cake off the table, and now her father and stepmother were in a mood with her for her outburst.  
  
Sarah knew it wasn't Toby's fault, but she'd yelled at him all the same. Every little thing that went wrong had become his fault in that moment. She felt terrible. Worse still, even her friends Underground seemed to be busy in their own lives. No one she could talk to. No one she could confide in-  
  
Well maybe _one_ person. But did she dare..?  
  
Sarah chided herself for even considering it. He'd contributed to the worst day of her life after all. Still, there was an odd temptation there to call on him, even if mockingly, just to see if he would come.  
  
"Goblin King, Goblin King, wherever you may be... My sweet sixteen is pitiful. So please come and save me?"  
  
Nothing. Tra la la. So he'd abandoned her as well. It seemed only fair. Why on earth when everyone else didn't care would he suddenly appear. He was no white knight. No prince charming.  
  
Sarah then made her way downstairs with a sniffle. It was time to apologise to Toby, and to her father and stepmother. Toby was alone in the living room when she found him. "Hey, kiddo..."  
  
She wasn't able to elaborate before her brother piped up. "King?" His tears from earlier forgotten now.  
  
Sarah's eyes slowly travelled to the window by the front door where Toby was pointing to. "The..." It almost seemed to happen in slow motion.  
  
There he was. Jareth. He looked exactly the same, and Sarah felt her heart try to jump out of her chest. Realisation dawned on her. He couldn't be here. He just couldn't..!  
  
Sarah rushed to the door in a panic. Pulling it open, she took in the sight of him. "You... You came..?!"  
  
His reply was a soft sneer, though now it lacked the cruel intent she was used to. "Well you did ask me to, precious."  
  
She _had_ asked him. "You..." Sarah looked around then, making sure there was nobody around to see his ostentatious self. "What if someone **sees?** "  
  
Jareth smirked then, and Sarah found herself scowling. "Oh, calm down, love..." Before she could blink, he was now standing there in a very smart, yet casual suit. His flamboyant hair was now shorter, but still as blond. It hung around his face in tousled locks, looking temptingly soft. His face was now free of makeup, yet such an angular handsome face truly needed none. "Better..?"  
  
Sarah felt a blush coming on, and turned away. "I suppose..."  
  
Just then another voice could be heard as Irene walked over. "Sarah? Who's at the door?"  
  
Sarah gave Jareth a pleading look. "Um..." Her eyes boggled as Jareth suddenly appeared much younger. In seconds he lost some of his height, now nearly eye level with Sarah. His face was a little softer, and the fine lines around his eyes completely gone. She realised what was happening only when it was too late.  
  
Jareth smiled amiably as Irene appeared in the doorway. "Hullo."  
  
She stared blankly at him for a moment before turning to Sarah. "Well? Aren't you going to invite your friend inside, Sarah?"  
  
Jareth gave Sarah a look that seemed to say 'Yes, aren't you..?' She could've killed him... "Uh, yeah, sorry..." She stepped aside allowing the Goblin King entrance.  
  
Irene then spoke again. "Your father's in the kitchen, and would like a word." Her voice was a whisper, making sure their 'guest' didn't overhear. "I know you're having a bad day, but the way you spoke to him just wasn't acceptable. The quicker you apologise, the quicker we can all forget about it, OK?"  
  
Sarah wanted to argue, but her stepmother was irritatingly right for once. "I know." She walked past Jareth on her way to the kitchen. "Behave, for my sake." She whispered.  
  
He gave her a sly wink. "Of course."  
  
When Sarah came back, Toby was sat on top of Jareth's shoulders, and Irene was laughing at something he'd said. "You have such a charming friend, Sarah!" She giggled, making her way over to the kitchen.  
  
Sarah waited until her stepmother was out of earshot before she folded her arms with a look. "What..?" Jareth smirked.  
  
"You know what."  
  
Jareth's smirk grew. "You asked me to save you." He then put Toby down, much to the boy's disappointment.  
  
Sarah's eyes merely narrowed. "Speak of the _devil..._ "  
  
The Goblin King chuckled. "And he shall appear... Say what you will; at least I'm reliable."  
  
Sarah balked - he wasn't wrong.  
  
Toby looked between the two of them in annoyance. Surely they should be paying attention to him. He softly kicked Jareth in the shin, giving him a look. "Hm?" Jareth merely smiled.  
  
Toby jumped on the spot a few times before huffing his response. "Up!"  
  
Sarah tried not to laugh, and failed. Jareth ignored her, picking up the child. "So bossy. Just like your sister, aren't you? Maybe I _should've_ turned you into a goblin..." Toby didn't seem fazed, glad of his new increase in height.  
  
Sarah huffed. Just then her father entered the room with Irene in tow. "Well it's nice to see that _one_ of her friends could be bothered to show up." He smiled. Robert wasn't exactly thrilled that a handsome boy was her only caller. He would've liked a few of her girlfriends to act as buffers in that sort of situation. But he also wanted his daughter to have a good birthday, and he wouldn't spoil that by being overprotective - though, that didn't mean he wouldn't have a talk with Sarah once the young man left. "Nice to meet you, son." He extended a hand which Jareth took.  
  
"Pleasure." He smiled.  
  
Sarah stood there feeling oddly superfluous. Irene liked Jareth. Toby liked Jareth. Even her _dad_ seemed to like Jareth..!  
  
Irene plucked Toby from the Goblin King's shoulders. The child frowned once more. "Sarah, your father and I have got a few 'things' to sort out here. It's such a nice day outside-" _Here we go_ , Sarah thought. "Why don't you and your friend get some fresh air? Spend a little time in town?"  
  
She was so obvious... "Yeah, sounds like a good idea." Sarah lied, smiling.  
  
Robert truly wasn't pleased with the idea of the two being completely unsupervised. That was until Jareth piped up, painting the picture of a perfect gentleman. "Sarah, have you had dinner yet? I'd very much like to treat you, as I hadn't gotten round to buying you a present..." His tone was one of worry tinged with just the right amount of embarrassment.  
  
Sarah could've throttled him.  
  
"She hasn't." Robert spoke before she could, and Sarah felt utterly betrayed. "Go on, you two; just don't be too long." He smiled.  
  
Typical. Absolutely typical. "Uh... OK." She nodded dumbly, finding herself following Jareth out of the house, and down the street.  
  
When they turned the first corner, Jareth looked like his old self again. "See?"  
  
Sarah stared at him in confusion. "See _what_ exactly..?"  
  
She felt her cheeks begin to bloom under his intense stare. "Consider yourself saved." He grinned, giving his cape a dramatic flick. "Now where would you like to go?"  
  
Go..? Sarah's blush intensified. He really was taking her to dinner?! "I... I don't really know."  
  
Jareth noted her hesitation. "Forget dinner if it's too much trouble. I can take you anywhere in the world. Where have you always wanted to go?"  
  
Sarah stood there dumbfounded. He was really offering to take her anywhere? She suddenly felt overwhelmed. Though, one place stood out in her mind... "I've always wanted to see Italy. Venice in particular..." She hoped that wasn't asking too much.  
  
In seconds she found herself standing by the bright blueish-green canals. She felt the warm Mediterranean sun on her face, and looked at Jareth in shock.  
  
He was back to his inconspicuous disguise, but looking less like a boy now. Sarah was thankful for that. It was a little too easy to forget who he was when he'd looked that young. That, and it had felt strangely acceptable to ogle him.  
  
With their difference in age back in place, Sarah felt reassured that she could now ignore those feelings.  
  
"Thank you..." She then spoke.  
  
Jareth flashed her his trademark grin. "You're very welcome."

 

* * *

 

Pizza tasted better in Italy. Ice cream tasted better too. Sarah gave the Goblin King a feigned look of annoyance as they relaxed on a gondola ride. It wasn't romantic, she hastened to add, just something to tick off her bucket list. "All my favourite foods are ruined now, y'know?"

Jareth opened one eye. "Good." He closed said eye, and went back to dozing. A part of him wanted to push her into the canal, though he wasn't sure why. He chalked it up to 'serving her right', or some other such nonsense.

Sarah made a point of huffing loudly, ignoring Jareth's smirk. "That was your cue to say 'sorry', by the way." Jareth merely shrugged his shoulders, eyes still closed. "Unbelievable..."

The man opened both eyes then, watching her in amusement. He wondered, was this the reason she'd so easily made friends, and gotten so much help during her stay in the Labyrinth..? Perhaps it was. He felt himself becoming less and less eager to ruin her day, and hated himself for it. Jareth wondered if she was even aware of her ability to befriend just about anyone. Probably not.

"Stop staring, your eyes are creeping me out." Sarah then spoke, and Jareth scowled.

Cheeky little thing that she was. Jareth let his expression soften, crossing one leg in front of the other. "You're a very rude young woman, Sarah." He chuckled.

Rude. Coming from Mr. Rude himself? Sarah felt her temper flare. "You would know." She hissed.

"Indeed I would."

Jareth clicked his fingers, and all of a sudden they were standing outside of her front door. "Hey..!" The ice cream she'd been holding was still in her hand. It was now starting to get dark, and she realised she'd be in quite a bit of trouble having spent so long away from home. Sarah then pulled her phone out of her pocket, giving it a cursory glance. _Please, please please..._ 12 missed calls...

Damn.

"I'd love to stay..." Sarah felt her stomach lurch with worry. "If you ever find yourself in need of my flawless company again, do give me a shout." And with that he was gone.

Double damn.

Sarah opened the front door, and winced when she heard her father's voice. "We were just about to call the police. Just where have you been all day, young lady?!"

 


	2. Melodrama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jareth is quite the actor...

Jareth was incensed.

He'd appeared to her on a stupid whim, and didn't even get round to scolding her. The Goblin King had wanted to tear her down with his cutting words - he could do it too, he was certain of that.

But then he'd gotten carried away. Dare he say it, even had _fun..?_

He felt rather ill.

Damn that girl. His brain seemed less and less capable of rational thought around her. He wanted to... Make her smile. It was disgusting...

And all her fault, too, he hastened to add.

_'But what no one knew was that the King of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl, and he had given her certain powers.'_

Humans already had more power than they knew - realms popped up into existence just through sheer imagination. They created utopias, magical places. The irony was that they were never able to see the fruits of their labour.

Until Sarah. She was one of the few to cross that line between worlds. And all she had to do was imagine. Something to be said for that incessant childlike nature of hers...

If Jareth had won, he would've been able to forget it all. She would've been but a boring little footnote in the grand illustrated book that was his life. But he had lost. He had no power over her, and what's more, Sarah's words now carried weight. _Magical_ weight.

Some would call it foreshadowing. Jareth called it poppycock of the highest order.

He'd been so sure of his victory, that her words back then hadn't even entered his mind. But then she got closer and closer to his castle. When she appeared in the goblin village, that was the first moment he truly panicked.

She could actually win this, he feared. And then she did. He pleaded with her. Tried his best to bargain. He offered her that crystal ball again, hopeful that she'd fall into one last trap.

But Sarah was far too smart for that.

_'You have no power over me...'_

Jareth had sent her back to her realm in the biggest hissy fit of exploding feathers and silk he could muster. Though unbeknownst to her, he'd followed her back. He'd watched her through the window, cad that he was, as she reminisced and danced with her new found friends.

He'd felt strangely jealous, but misinterpreted it at the time as naught but blind rage.

"It wasn't fair." He muttered, realising far too late that he sounded just like her. Childish. Petulant.

Damn her!!!

 

* * *

 

Sarah was confused. Why had he even come..? It baffled her that she could just call on the Goblin King, and he would be there.

_'I will be your slave..!'_

Strange that she hadn't given him what he'd asked of her, and yet he seemed just that. Surely it should have been quits between them now.

Sarah blamed herself for calling him in the first place. She'd been desperate. Stupid. Just like the first time. Surely she should have learned?!

Perhaps that was what Jareth wanted. For her to come running back into his waiting arms. Give her the illusion of control before he snatched it back, leaving her, and her life in tatters...

Or maybe she was reading far too much into it.

Sarah couldn't stop herself however. He'd come to her in her hour of need - but much like the last time, he only ended up making things worse.

Her father had grounded her for the rest of the week. She had tried to reason with him, and even Irene had fought her corner, strangely, but it hadn't been enough.

She supposed it was lucky that there were only two days left of the week when she had been sent to her room that evening.

Sarah had a right mind to call Jareth again, and pummel the sod with her pillows. She'd been sure in that moment that he had played around with time. He must have, she reasoned.

However, Sarah had pocketed the receipts from that day, intending to put them all in her scrapbook. They all stated very different times. She remembered the sun setting, and ignoring it completely. She had just been enjoying herself far too much to care.

Was that really his fault..? Sarah was torn. She wanted to blame him, but the truth was staring her in the face.

Damn him!!!

 

* * *

 

The Goblin King was lying in bed when Sarah called again. He had a right mind to roll over and ignore her.

After five minutes, he grumbled his way out of bed, summoning an elaborate outfit out of thin air. Once he was dressed, Jareth made up his face, and fussed over his hair before he deemed himself perfect enough to leave the house.

"And what can I do for my favourite maiden this eve..?"

Sarah looked up at Jareth from her bed. "Um..." She hadn't thought to dress out of her pyjamas before she'd called on him. "Can you pass me that robe..?" Sarah pointed to the clothes pegs on the back of her door. Jareth did as he was asked, and turned away as Sarah quickly made herself more decent.

"You asked me all this way, at this hour, for a robe..?"

Sarah sighed loudly. "No..." She sat on the edge of the bed, ignoring Jareth as he did the same. "Why did you come today..?" The question wasn't going away anytime soon, and Sarah found she couldn't ignore it any longer.

Jareth smiled, and Sarah searched his face for any telltale signs of a hidden agenda. She found none. "You're nosy, aren't you?"

Sarah blushed. "So I've been told..." She was even more intrigued now that he'd dodged her question. "I didn't think you would. You owe me nothing - especially after what happened. I'd have understood if you'd ignored me like everyone else."

Jareth sighed, smirking. "Perhaps I was just curious?"

"Of what?"

Jareth tsked. She really was insistent... "How you would react, I suppose." He shrugged.

Sarah was baffled. "So... Not to teach me a lesson..? Punish me?"

Jareth's smirk was a sly one, and Sarah instantly regretted her choice of words. "The thought had crossed my mind, pet."

Sarah found herself even more confused now. "So... Why didn't you?" Did she really want the answer to that question?

"No idea." He shrugged.

Certainly he had some idea, but he wasn't about to confide in her what that was. That would be admitting it to himself, and Jareth was painfully stubborn in that. He'd never admit to the truth. Not when he could dance around it in blissful ignorance.

Sarah was just about to ask him to elaborate when the door opened.

Irene looked between the two of them, her face sheet white. Sarah looked at Jareth slowly - and realised to her horror that he'd somehow been aware of her stepmother's arrival before it had happened, and had changed his appearance accordingly.

Beside her sat the young man from her birthday. Except his head was in his hands. And he was sobbing.

Irene's lip twitched slightly, unsure what to do. Sarah had clearly snuck him in - at night, no less. she would have scolded her for it, but it was obvious that the boy wasn't here for devious purposes.

"I thought I heard you talking with someone..." Her voice was soft, and quiet, no doubt trying to keep the situation a calm one. "What ever's the matter?" She asked, turning to Jareth.

He painted then an elaborate, woeful tale. Abusive father. Dead mother. All the elements that successfully pulled at the heartstrings.

By the end of the evening, Sarah was the hero - his one true friend, and the only person he could turn to. She had given him refuge, ignoring what consequences might occur, caring only for a dear friend's safety.

Sarah's father had told him to sleep on the couch, no questions asked. He felt strangely protective of the kid, and especially proud of his daughter.

She was no longer grounded.

In the morning, Sarah found a note by her pillow.

 _'You're welcome.'_ It read.


	3. Afternoon Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Never stir a fae's tea with a metal spoon. Just sayin'...

Sarah turned the note over in her hand a few days later. As much as it peeved her to admit it, Jareth's flair for acting had saved her from another month's worth of grounding... She felt a twinge of gratitude before quickly stomping it down.  
  
He'd just _love_ that...  
  
She pondered on whether to call on the Goblin King one more time. Sarah had the house to herself, and she'd be able to bestow on him a thank you, without the embarrassment of what he'd say or do next in front of her family. He always managed to pull something out of the bag, and Sarah was smart enough now to keep their encounters strictly one on one.  
  
"Jareth-"  
  
"Sarah."  
  
Sarah jumped back, her arms in the air. "That was fast..." She mumbled, trying to calm her now erratic heartbeat.  
  
The Goblin King stood there grinning. The grin, Sarah noted, seemed rather peculiar. But she couldn't explain to you why.  
  
She watched him carefully, expecting some kind of an ambush scenario given that it was just the two of them. Maybe she hadn't been so wise about that... "I- Well, I just wanted to say thanks." Sarah looked him in the eye then. She was still irked by how far back she had to tilt her head in order to do that...  
  
Jareth's grin relaxed into a more genuine smile; the sort of smile Sarah realised that actually looked... Good? She felt her insides flip suddenly, but blamed it on his abrupt appearance. "You're very welcome, Sarah."  
  
They stood in silence. Jareth continued to smile, and Sarah fidgeted, not quite meeting his gaze. Which only made Jareth's smile bigger. So big she could see it in her periphery...  
  
"What?"  
  
Jareth's lips curled, and the gesture Sarah thought would've much better suited a teenage boy's face than his own. It was impish, childish, and not something a grown man should be doing.

"What?" Sarah repeated, louder this time, watching as Jareth bit his lip.

The Goblin King wondered how much more silence on his part might make her explode. He had no idea why he wanted this kind of reaction, but damned if he wasn't going to push for it...  
  
He merely shrugged, shit eating grin still in place.  
  
Sarah was fuming. "I swear to god, Jareth!" His eyes flickered mischievously at her tone, but he remained silent. "If you don't-!" Jareth raised an eyebrow. "I'm seriously going to-!" The Goblin King poked his tongue out, and Sarah then dissolved into a fit of giggles. "You're a jerk..." She chuckled, folding her arms.  
  
Jareth placed his arms behind his back; a familiar aloof gesture of his. "No, I'm a goblin, Sarah, do keep up." He smirked. Sarah snorted then. "Do you have any tea?" He then asked.  
  
Sarah stared at him blankly for a few seconds. "Uh, yeah. Did you want some?"  
  
Jareth's grin widened. "Well it is late evening back in the Underground."  
  
"And that's the perfect time for tea..?" Sarah asked, narrowing her eyes.  
  
Jareth looked at her seriously then, the smile disappearing. "Well, _yes._ "

 

* * *

 

Sarah came back with the tea, sniggering when she noticed the King of the Goblin's had eaten the entire contents of the biscuit tin she'd left out - his ruffled and glittery finery was dusted with sugar granules, destroying any chance of him lying his way out of this.  
  
Jareth magicked the crumbs away. Sarah asked where, but he wouldn't tell her. (She'd find them later in her sock drawer.)  
  
Tea was the hardest thing to get wrong. Which was why Jareth was now asking himself how on earth the contents of his cup were grey...  
  
_'Looks like bog water...'_ He found himself thinking.

Sarah noted his hesitation. "It's my first time making tea; you don't have to drink it..."

Jareth was having none of it. "Nonsense-!" He gave the cup a tentative jiggle, swirling it's contents. "That's how it's _supposed_ to look."

"Really..?" Jareth nodded before taking a sip. He seemed very still for a moment, and Sarah watched him as he gulped slowly. "Are you OK?" Jareth nodded again before setting the cup down with a shaky hand. He looked as if he was on the verge of saying something when one gloved hand flew over his mouth, and he retched. Sarah paled. "Uh... First door on the right-!" She suddenly stood up ushering a queasy Goblin King out of the front room, and towards the nearest bathroom.

Sarah sat beside the closed door feeling dreadful as she heard Jareth lose his breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the room opposite. She was about to knock, but thought better of it. _Give him time_ , she thought.

When the door finally opened, Jareth stared down at her in confusion. And then embarrassment. He wondered how long she'd been there, and started feeling rather ill all over again. Sarah looked up at him, completely mortified. His usually pristine eyeliner was smudged, and his eyes were now rather watery and red rimmed. She was about to apologise profusely when Jareth spoke. "You didn't by chance stir the tea with a metal spoon, did you..?"

Sarah gawped, the implications of such a question flying over her head. "Yes..?" Jareth gagged slightly, his hand flying up to his face. False alarm... Sarah's eyes then widened when everything clicked into place. "I-Iron..?!" She then stood up, her hands flapping, as she walked around in circles. "Oh my god, I've killed you. You're dying." She panicked.

"M'not dying..." Jareth leaned against the wall, screwing his eyes shut as his ears began to ring. Too loud... And why was the room moving..?

A better question still, why was he in Sarah's bed?

Sarah was leaning over him, her expression wracked with guilt. "Are you OK?" She whispered, adjusting the duvet in an excuse to busy her nervous hands. "You fainted; I had to carry you up the stairs." Jareth blushed hard, turning his face away. "I only dropped you twice." She then smirked, trying to inject some humour into the situation. "Seriously though, how are you feeling?"

Jareth startled when Sarah's hand pressed itself to his forehead, checking his temperature. "Bad." He confessed. No point in lying about it after all. "Sorry about that, by the way."

Sarah stared at him incredulously. " _You're_ sorry..? I'm the one who poisoned you." She sighed, opening the window then to let in some fresh air. "You're hot by the way-" Sarah then groaned at the grin on the Goblin King's face. "I'm serious. You're going to bake yourself at this rate..." She fussed, tidying the room then. Jareth watched her, well tried to, his eyes fighting to stay open.

Sarah continued to talk to herself in a panicked tone. Most of it went over Jareth's head as he felt himself slowly succumb to sleep. Sarah's bed was beyond comfortable, and the fact that her lovely scent completely ensconced him now only added to that.

 

* * *

 

The Goblin King became very delirious when he had a fever, Sarah found out.

Some notable inclusions were:  
  
"Daddy, why didn't you love me..?" Accompanied by flailing hands.  
  
"You deserve all the beautiful things in the world, Sarah... Pearls, diamonds..." Jareth snored before adding, " _waffles..._ "

"I don't care if we're out of soap I'm not buying any peanuts."

"But I don't want to shave my legs; it's only Tuesday..."  
  
And who could forget his rousing rendition of Gormless Gniq, The Gout-riddled Goblin - _**all eight verses...**_

Sarah swept the hair out of Jareth's face, pressing a cool damp cloth to his forehead. This fever was starting to subside, but he still looked dreadful. "Silly goblin..." She sighed, slowly using her makeup wipes then to clean up his eyes. Sarah knew all too well how bad one felt waking up in day old eyeliner. Funny to think that she was considering his comfort after he'd put her through that hell Underground.

But had it been hell? She'd made friends, grown as a person, and dare she say it, had quite a bit of fun along the way. It hadn't been all that bad. She wondered why she kept blaming him.

_You asked that the child be taken. I took him._

Sarah looked down at his sleeping form. Maybe in his own strange way he really had been generous. Or at least seemed to think so. Sarah decided to go downstairs to clean up, and distract her thoughts in the process. She cleaned up the mess she'd made in the kitchen, trying to make loose leaf tea for the first time. She then went to collect the cup Jareth had barely touched. Picking it up, Sarah put it to her lips pausing for a moment before taking a sip.

It was the worst thing she'd ever tasted in her life...

_And I have done it all for you._

Sarah sighed, taking the cup into the kitchen to give it a good scrub.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Iron poisoning causes abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, and dehydration. (WebMD) poor Jareth... XD
> 
> Also, before I do any more requests, I'll be updating Mirror Mirror first. So keep an eye out for that in the next few days~ :3


	4. Of Tarot and Drugs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Jareth has a close call, fortunes are read, and Sarah gets a taste for the forbidden...

Sarah had laid out several things for Jareth in the en suite. She'd be leaving soon to get her errands out of the way before Irene came back, and she didn't want him to have to exert any more energy than was absolutely necessary.

She felt relieved when she went back into her room to find Jareth sitting up. "You OK?" She chanced, her brow furrowing. Even sat down he was swaying.

Jareth's hands were soon over his face - his ego quickly becoming bruised. "Yes." He said quietly.

Sarah decided not to push things. He was up. He wasn't dead (a fact that strangely relieved Sarah). And that was progress considering how bad he'd looked just a few hours ago. "Will you be alright on your own..?" She then asked.

Jareth turned away, staring out of the window. Sarah tried not to take it personally when he wouldn't meet her eyes. He was probably embarrassed - the Goblin King was such an exhibitionist. His identity hinged on perfection. Beauty. And now he was sat here with bed hair, and morning breath that could knock out a horse. She pushed down any feelings of pity. He'd hate that.

"Yes." He then nodded after a moment of silence.

Sarah sagged in relief. "Oh, good..." She went to her bedroom door, just about to leave. "I've left some stuff for you in the bathroom if you feel like freshening up. I won't be long, OK?"

Jareth waited until he heard the door close before looking up. If he wasn't so tired, he'd be infuriated by her niceness. As it happened, he was far too tired. Sighing, Jareth pushed himself off the bed. It felt like every bone in his body was fighting to keep him grounded, creaking in objection.

He walked in an undignified shuffle to the en suite, groaning every now and then.

 

* * *

 

Sarah juggled the groceries with one arm as she walked around the store. She really should've gotten a basket...

Just then, her phone began to ring, and Sarah dropped half of what she was holding. "Damn-!" She scooped her fallen groceries into a pile on the floor, trying to ignore the people watching her display. "H-Hello..?" She grabbed a basket then, holding her phone between her ear and shoulder as she filled it.

Irene's shrill voice blared in her ear. "Sarah, I rang the house phone but you didn't answer."

Sarah bit her lip, picking up the basket. She slowly made her way around the store. "No, I'm just out getting those errands done."

She smirked when Irene made a surprised sound. "Oh. Well good-!" Sarah rolled her eyes, grabbing a can of peas. "You'll probably be home after me, I'm just about to get in the car. I'll wait until you get home to make a start on dinner."

Sarah nodded, forgetting that Irene couldn't see her. "Um. Did you need me to bring anything in particular back while I'm here?"

Irene chuckled. "No, don't worry about picking anything up. If there's any change left, get yourself something nice, OK?" Sarah still found it odd that Irene was warming more and more to her. And it didn't just go one way. Was this what growing up felt like? A few extra pleasantries exchanged, and Sarah was hanging up the phone, walking to the register.

_...You'll probably be home after me._

_...Home after me._

_... **After** me._

Sarah let out a loud gasp, and the people waiting in line spun around to stare at her. "Oh god... Oh NO!" She paid for her things, telling the cashier to keep the change, and rushed out of the store.

The bus she was meant to catch whizzed past, and Sarah cried out in anguish. The next one was in half an hour!

Jareth was still in her room. And Irene was constantly going in there to grab a teddy or a toy for Toby. Sarah stood there, panicked. Just how was she going to explain this?!

 

* * *

 

Jareth had a very hot, long bath. He hadn't hesitated in using Sarah's shampoo, or conditioner. Or face mask. Or skin polish. Or body lotion.

Or robe...

He stretched happily, feeling much more like himself. Walking back into her bedroom, he looked at her crumpled bed. He felt the sudden need to make it, and waved a hand, simultaneously laundering the sheets, and neatening everything up.

Jareth then growled when he realised his nose was bleeding.

Maybe he needed more of a rest than he'd thought... "Last time I do _her_ any favours..." He pinched his nose, walking back into the en suite.

Jareth heard footsteps downstairs, and felt himself perking up. And quickly quelled that. Why should he care if Sarah was home? He shuffled back into her room, and reclined on her bed, arms folded behind his head. He couldn't wait for her to be outraged with him for finding him in her robe. The Goblin King chuckled quietly to himself.

He then frowned when he heard Toby crying. And then his eyes flew open when he heard Irene's voice in the next room over. "Toby, calm down! Please, sweetheart? Just hold on, I'll go get Lancelot. You know how much you love Lancelot!" Irene's footsteps hurried toward Sarah's room.

The door flew open, and Irene stopped.

She inspected the shelves with all of Sarah's bears. "Ah! There he is..." She smiled, grabbing the bear before rushing back to Toby.

Jareth sighed in relief from under Sarah's bed. And promptly choked on a dust bunny.

 

* * *

 

Sarah's nerves were run ragged. She swung the front door open, her eyes wild and frantic. "Sarah..?" Irene peeked her head out from the kitchen. "Are you OK? You look flushed."

Sarah paused. Irene wasn't freaking out. Which meant her secret was safe. Which meant she could relax. "Y-Yeah-! Yeah, I'm fine..." She laughed awkwardly, dropping the bags off in the kitchen. So much for relaxing. "I've... Just gotta go to my room. Homework!" She didn't wait for her stepmother to speak, rushing up the stairs.

Jareth was sat crosslegged on her bed playing cards with a few goblins. There was what looked like Underground food scattered on filigree plates around them. "Hullo." He smiled. The Goblin King was slightly paler than usual - if that were even possible - but clothed in his usually ostentatious sense, and looking otherwise well.

Sarah sagged against the door once she closed it behind her. "Jareth... Care to explain..?" She gestured to the goblins.

Jareth smiled wider. "I wasn't feeling well enough to use my magic. I called a few goblins to bring me some things, namely different clothes."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "I _thought_ your wardrobe seemed endless the first time we met."

The Goblin King stiffened. "I never wear the same thing twice in a row."

Sarah felt her mouth curling up in a grin. "Heaven forfend." She then took a seat on the bed. "What are you playing..?" Sarah leaned in, eying the cards. She scowled when Jareth held them out of her reach.

Jareth smirked. "Strip poker." He couldn't hold back the laugh at Sarah's expression, half choking himself in the process. "It's a tarot deck." He threw a few cards then at her.

Sarah eyed them suspiciously. "Checking your fortune..?" She asked.

The Goblin King shuffled the rest of the deck before holding it out in emphasis. Sarah took the hint, placing the few cards she had back on top. Jareth reshuffled. "Maybe. Care to see what yours has in store..? They don't just tell the future. If you want, you can see what's going on in your life right now?"

Why not, she thought. "What do I have to lose?" Sarah shrugged. She watched as Jareth fanned the deck, holding it in front of her.

"Pick one."

"I thought you picked three?" She asked, eyes narrowing. "Besides, aren't _you_ supposed to deal them out instead?"

Jareth sighed. "First - there are many dealing patterns. One card. Three cards. Sometimes six at a time. And second - I might influence the cards if I pick them. You want to know, so you pick it." He waved the deck at her.

Sarah pouted, picking a card at random. "Does it matter if it's upside-down?" She laughed.

"Depends what the card is, precious."

Sarah ignored the pet name for now, staring at the intricate design on the card. "Two of Cups." She shrugged. Jareth looked distant for a moment. "What does it mean?"

The Goblin King shuffled the deck, snatching the card back. "Try again-"

"Jareth!" She huffed. "What did it mean? Tell me right now!"

The goblins on the bed looked between the two of them as they exchanged glances. One decided to pipe up. "Love card, that is!" It squeaked. Jareth gave the goblin a murderous glare.

Sarah felt her cheeks warming. "Come again..?" She hissed.

The goblin held up a hand, blocking out Jareth's electrifying stare. "Love card, miss! Right-side-up means happy! Harmony! Upside down..." He gulped when Jareth growled. "Distrust... Unfinished business... Means you're still annoyed with King. Don't blame you-!" The goblin shrieked when Jareth shoved it off the bed with a booted foot.

"Such insolence!" Suddenly thunder rolled outside, and the windows got a liberal bashing of rain.

Sarah sighed. "You're an idiot." She then stole the deck from him, shuffling it. "And now it's your turn."

Jareth eyed the deck with worry. "Fine." He plucked one at random. Shit. "Reversed Knight of Cups." He sighed, flicking it at her.

"And what does that mean?" Seeing Jareth pout, she then turned to one of his goblins. "Tell me." She ordered.

The goblin from last time shifted nervously before jumping back on the bed. It shimmied closer to Sarah just in case the King came at him again. "Knight of Cups lets his emotions rule his life too much. He's moody." Jareth snarled. "J-Jealous! Jumps to conclusions before getting facts-! Has to learn to act on logic, and stop being so emotional..." The goblin paused. "Can I stay here..?" It then asked with a whimper.

"Either that or the bog." Jareth scowled.

"Jareth!" Sarah set him with a look. "So the cards are accurate, then..." She whispered, feeling a smirk pull at her lips. It perturbed her however. If Jareth's card was so dead on the money, it meant hers must have been too. Deep down she knew it was. There was this wall between them. She was pushing him away, and at the same time wanting to bring him closer. Her first instinct was always to blame him, even if he hadn't done anything wrong.

Perhaps she did need to take a long hard look at herself, and get all this awkwardness out of the way. Actually talk to him.

The thought terrified her.

"I see you got them to bring lunch?" Sarah looked at the plates on her bed. "I am sorry... Again... Y'know for... nearly killing you." She folded her arms. "Is that proper tea?" Sarah nodded at the decorative cup on her bedside table.

Jareth picked it up then. "Yes." He felt a smirk on his lips before he could stop himself. "See how it's not grey-"

"Oh, ha ha." Sarah rolled her eyes. "And those?" She then reached for what looked like sweets. She huffed when Jareth grabbed her wrist.

The Goblin King set the tea down with his other hand. "You can try them by all means, but no more than two."

Sarah narrowed her eyes before grabbing five. She stuffed them in her mouth, smirking.

Jareth sighed wearily. "You're worse than the goblins..." He watched as Sarah's eyes glazed over. "They're very potent. Hallucinogenic after the second."

It took Jareth half an hour to coax Sarah off the canopy of her bed. And a further half hour to convince her that her legs weren't melted cheese, and that her room wasn't full of spiders.

"You're a handful, Sarah Williams..." He sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHA, I couldn't resist the idea of Jareth having to hide from Irene...
> 
> Also, Jareth can eat a whole bowl of Underground sweets without problems. Bloody junkie ;)


	5. Of Hangovers and Makeunders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jareth is still groggy. Sarah has the worst candy-hangover ever. Add a dwarf, a fox-dog, and a beast into the mix, and Sarah's room is full to bursting...

Sarah awoke with a groan, her mouth dry and her head pounding. She squinted when she heard snoring beside her. Her mind quickly went to Hoggle - many a time the dwarf escaped from the Underground when Jareth was in a foul mood. The Goblin King, powerless as he was, could not enter the Above Ground without an invitation from Sarah. Hoggle usually took refuge under her bed, and so the snoring wasn't something that felt suspicious to her.

Until she realised it wasn't coming from under the bed.

Rolling over, she glared down at a booted foot slung across her lap. She then let out a snort of laughter when her eyes travelled up the bed to Jareth - lying face down upon her pillow, and making very unkingly noises in his sleep.

Sarah's hand came up to cradle her head. Memories from the day before (hazy as they were) flooded her mind a moment later. She winced recalling the hallucinations she'd fallen victim to. Well, he had warned her...

 

> _"Legs..! Melting!!" Sarah cried out, stumbling around._
> 
> _Jareth grabbed her wrist when she tried to open the bedroom door. "Quiet!" He shushed her with the other hand, and swallowed a cry when she bit it. "Don't make me order the goblins to take you away. Behave!"_
> 
> _Sarah wailed in anguish. "I don't want to be a smelly goblin..." She whimpered, curling her hands into fists and smacking pathetically at his chest. One of the goblins (still sat on the bed) made an expression of offence._
> 
> _"She's addled - ignore that." Jareth whispered, grabbing Sarah's wrists to stop her feeble assault. "Sarah. Sarah, calm down." Sarah's breathing started to slow. "Good. Deep breaths, now..." Sarah nodded, half gasping, tears in her eyes._
> 
> _"Breep depths..." Sarah choked out, and the Goblin King had to stop a snort of laughter. He simply smiled, letting go of her wrists to run a thumb over the spilt tears on her cheek. "Your face is... fine." She sighed, bringing up a hand. She clumsily patted his cheek, almost slapping him, her eyes half-lidded and drooping as she felt sleep wrap it's velvet arms around her. "Sexy fine..."_
> 
> _Jareth caught her as she sagged against him, his face one of total bewilderment._

 

Jareth had put on a brave face when she returned earlier that day, but it was clear that the Goblin King was still exhausted, and not quite over his bout of iron poisoning. So they were both in a state, then, Sarah thought to herself.

Stretching, Sarah sighed when her joints popped. The ghastly sound woke the fae beside her, and he rolled over, his face one of abject horror. "Were those your bones..?" He mumbled, his voice still heavy and thick with sleep.

"Yup." Sarah smirked before pointing to the smudged impression Jareth had left on her pillow. "Was that your face?" She let out a hoot of laughter when Jareth stumbled off the bed, covering his face dramatically with one arm. "Oh relax, you peacock..." She got up, rummaging in her bedside drawer for the makeup wipes. "That's really bad for your skin, you know." She advanced on him, and Jareth backed away out of instinct.

He then froze when she trapped him against the wall, wiping his face. Jareth was surprised at how gentle her touch was as she cleaned away the smudges of eyeliner, always careful of the pressure she used around his eyes.

He couldn't relax knowing as the seconds ticked by that she was seeing more and more of his bare face. Jareth had pretended he didn't care that first day he appeared to her in disguise. He'd faked his confidence so expertly that surely she'd be confused now at his sudden self consciousness.

Except Sarah knew him rather well by now. And she knew him well enough that if he slept in makeup around her, it wasn't because he was unaware of the basics of skincare regime - a man with such a pristine complexion as him obviously exfoliated daily. No, Jareth was anxious about her seeing him without airs. He'd fashioned a pompous little persona, and she wasn't allowed to see underneath.

The thought irked Sarah. Just when she felt they were getting past things, that bastard built another wall higher than the last.

Sarah startled when the Goblin King winced - she had become rather heavy handed as her thoughts consumed her, practically trying to sand off his cheekbone in her efforts.

"Sorry..." She muttered, throwing the used wipe in her small bin. "See? Much better." Sarah forced a smile, watching Jareth's eyes dart around the room.

She noticed the bags under his eyes, realising she must've wiped off some concealer as well. Jareth looked pale, and drawn, and it sent another pang of guilt straight to her chest knowing it had all been her fault. "How are you feeling now, Sarah?" He then asked, still not meeting her eyes.

"Aside from the dry mouth, and the killer headache?" She smirked. "I've been worse." Sarah stared at his furtive eyes, daring him to look at her. When he finally did, she then spoke. "And you?"

"Fine." He nodded brusquely. "Just peachy in fact."

Sarah then glared. "Is that supposed to be funny?" She spat the words out with such venom that Jareth feared for a moment that she would rear up and bite him.

Jareth was quiet for a moment, weighing up his options. Finally he spoke. "A little." He smirked at the scoffing sound she made. "But we can call it even now, surely?" The fae continued at Sarah's confused expression. "You ate a dodgy peach - I drank some dodgy tea. Even..?" He then held out a gloved hand.

Sarah stared at it before taking his hand in hers. She shook it firmly. "Even." The corner of her mouth curled in a faint smile. 

 

* * *

 

Sarah told Jareth of her plans to invite her friends over if they were to be holed up in her bedroom for the day. Luckily for Sarah it was the weekend, so she didn't have to be anywhere. As soon as she mentioned company, Jareth panicked, magicking makeup onto his face - and promptly giving himself another nosebleed. "You need to rest. What have I told you?" Sarah hissed, getting the Goblin King to pinch his nose, and hold back his head.

Jareth merely grumbled.

Once Sarah was sure the fae was fine, she left the room to do a few chores - if only to keep Irene from poking her head round the door and commenting on her laziness. She didn't need anyone seeing Jareth while he was too weak to disguise himself. As stressful as it would be to explain to Irene why she hadn't noticed Sarah's new friend enter the house - it would be even more stressful for Sarah to have to explain why the King of the Goblins was taking refuge in her bedroom with his subjects in tow.

When Sarah had helped with the laundry, put out the garbage, and washed up the family's breakfast plates, Robert commented. "You feeling OK, kiddo?" He held a hand up to her forehead. "You're looking clammy today."

Sarah just smiled. "I'm fine dad. I just slept bad is all."

Robert didn't look convinced. "Hm. Maybe you're coming down with something. Forget doing any more chores, young lady. And get back up into bed."

Sarah tried not to smile in relief. It would certainly make her day easier if everyone left her to rest... "Thanks dad. I'll do just that." She nodded, and made her way up the stairs. Once she entered her room, she ignored Jareth, picking up Lancelot as well as a few more teddy bears. She left the room and put them in Toby's small bed. Better to be proactive now than have Irene or her father coming in to try and placate the toddler...

When Sarah returned Jareth watched her close the door before wedging a chair up against it. "Can't be too careful."

"Ashamed of me?" Jareth tittered. Any air of regality he had was lost with two sheets of tissue stuffed up his nose.

Sarah smirked. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

The Goblin King held a hand over his heart, throwing his head back. "You wound me, Sarah Williams..." Sarah had to hold back her laughter - sick girls didn't burst out laughing...

"You are delirious, your Majesty." She teased, taking a seat on her bed. "Has it stopped bleeding..?" Sarah then asked, leaning in with a worried look.

"I think so." Jareth got up, making his way to her en suite. "Thank you by the way..." He added quietly before he snapped the door shut behind him. Sarah smiled after him, feeling oddly relaxed. That was until she heard a knocking coming from her mirror.

Sarah quickly jumped off the bed, holding a finger up to her lips. "Shh! Come in, guys..!" She whispered. "The folks are downstairs, so we have to be quiet this time." She added.

"Say no more." Hoggle nodded, climbing carefully through the mirror. Sir Didymus hopped in after, landing on a plush throw pillow. They all watched Ludo with baited breath, expecting him to crash over her vanity. But the beast surprised them all when he gingerly edged himself into her room. "You look funny." Hoggle remarked.

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Long story. How was your day?"

Hoggle took a seat on her bed, getting comfy. "Better than in a long time." He chuckled. "Jareth's gone missing. The Underground's practically liveable now."

Sarah gulped. "Oh."

"Indeed, my fair lady!" Sir Didymus then cheered. "The cad's absence has the little people rejoicing! No more are we living in fear of the Bog!" He held up his sword, triumphant.

Hoggle then chuckled. "Hope the rat never comes back. Maybe he fell in the Bog himself. Serves him right." The room was eerily quiet, and Hoggle then looked at everyone's terrified faces. "What..?"

"By all means, carry on, Hoggle. Don't let me stop you." The dwarf's eyes widened, and he slowly turned around to see the King of the Goblins stood behind him. Upon his face was a soft smile, but his eyes were incandescent.

"Mercy!" Hoggle cried, and Sarah panicked that someone downstairs would hear them.

Jareth folded his arms, his head tilting to one side. "What's said is said..."

"I-I didn't mean it..!"

The Goblin King's smile grew wider. "Oh, you didn't?" He then relaxed, chuckling. "Calm down, dwarf. I am an honoured guest in Miss Williams' house. No harm will come to you here." He narrowed his eyes slightly as if to add _'but just wait until I get you back in the Underground you little fucker'_.

Sarah relaxed as the tension in the room dissipated. "Who wants to play Scrabble?"

"My lady, I thought you'd never ask!" Sir Didymus exclaimed.


	6. Heavy Sleeper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarah and the gang have some fun with Jareth...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short continuation of the last chapter because SCRABBLE!

Scrabble was tense. Obviously. Jareth kept winning with the most obscure words - and Sarah was too stubborn to admit that she wasn't aware of most of them.  
  
As the hours dragged by, Jareth migrated to the bed as the rest of them played on Sarah's floor, scatter cushions abound. Sarah kept sneaking glances at the King as he drifted off.  
  
It was when they were all feeling particularly brave that Sarah managed to talk Sir Didymus and Hoggle into playing buckeroo with the fae. First one cushion. Then two. Lancelot was perched on one knee, and her music box on the other.  
  
Sarah had to hold back her laughter as she carefully placed the Scrabble tiles over his eyelids. Two "I's". (According to the fox-terrier, that was very droll indeed.)  
  
They realised the Goblin King was a heavy sleeper when Hoggle had managed to prop Sarah's entire labyrinth ball puzzle board on his forehead. The fun now over (and having run out of things to cover Jareth with) the gang resumed their game.  
  
Jareth then awoke with a surprised, high pitched sort of shriek about an hour later. Sarah heard the Scrabble pieces clatter across the floor as he growled, and her shoulders shook from barely suppressed laughter.  
  
"WHO DARES?!"  
  
Sir Didymus widened his eyes in guilt, not quite meeting the man's stare.  
  
"It was me." Sarah spoke, resisting the urge to turn around, her grin painful.  
  
Jareth was silent for a moment before huffing what sounded like "Oh." He rolled over with a clatter and fell promptly back to sleep.

Once he heard a light snore, Hoggle spoke up. "If we blame _you_ , we could get away with **anything...** " He gave Sarah a look.

"No." She said quite firmly. Sarah didn't mind the odd prank, but anything more than that just wasn't worth considering. "You're just trying to distract me now that _I'm_ the one winning..." She smirked.

Hoggle shrugged. "It was just a thought..."

The light started to fade, and Jareth still hadn't woken up.

"He's lazy, isn't he?" Hoggle laughed, bravely poking the heeled foot that was now slung over the side of the bed.

"No, he's just under the weather." Sarah sighed, starting to put away the Scrabble board with Ludo's help. "I... Kind of made him sick, and he keeps getting nosebleeds every time he does anything magical. I don't think he's going home for a while yet." She sighed. "Which is stressing me out because I have no idea how much longer I can keep him hidden."

It was then that the tiny fox piped up. "My Lady, perhaps we can venture on a quest Underground!" Sir Didymus exclaimed. "A quest of the medicinal sort!"

Sarah leaned in. "Go on..." Not that she wanted rid of the Goblin King or anything. Perish the thought. But if he used up any more of her expensive face masks, she might just stick a rusty spoon up his arse, and to hell with the consequences.

 

* * *

 

Sarah finally waved her friends goodbye, and started tidying her room. Jareth was still dead to the world so she very carefully took all the toys and knick-knacks off her bed, putting each of them back and in their proper place. Should she wake him? It was getting late. Why did she suddenly feel like his mother?!

Growling, Sarah shoved Jareth sharply. "Who goes there-?!" He snorted, sitting up immediately.

"I thought you were dead for a minute..." Sarah sighed. _Wishful thinking..._

"I can't die." He then mumbled, carefully rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Heaven forfend he smudge his makeup.

There was a heavy silence before Sarah finally spoke. "You... Can't?"

Jareth sat a little straighter. "Well, not in the _traditional_ sense." He sat there quietly for a moment before continuing. "Iron isn't really good for me, but small amounts can be easy enough to heal from." Sarah shifted then, feeling guilty again. "But old age doesn't exist Underground. Not in the sense that it does here. At least not for me."

"Why not for you?" Sarah couldn't help but ask. If he was a special case, she wanted to know why. Curiosity may have killed the cat - but satisfaction saved it after all...

The Goblin King forced a more calm expression onto his face. "Because Sarah, I am meant to be a permanent fixture." Sarah looked confused. "When I was created it was with one sole purpose. To be the Goblin King." Of course that wasn't the sole reason. He knew that - but Sarah could not. At least not yet. If she found out, she would pity him. And Jareth so hated to be pitied. "You're very nosy." He then smirked.

"And you're very guarded." Sarah hissed. It was something that bothered her greatly, though she wasn't sure at all why. Why should she care if he kept things from her? And why should she care at all about him in the first place? Sarah told herself it was out of pity. (That dreaded pity...) She'd beaten his labyrinth, and she'd poisoned him with that murky tea. Of course she would feel something other than blind indifference. Sarah slowly realised how paper thin these excuses were.

Because she did care - or at least she was starting to. In a strange sort of way.

Jareth could see her mind whirring. That brilliant mind. "I'm sure you will figure it out soon, Sarah..." He whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter following shortly...


	7. Magical Sabotage!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jareth plays dirty. Sarah wonders why she's even surprised...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jareth, stop shooting yourself in the dainty foot is2g... *facepalm*

Jareth squinted at the vial of potion that Sarah was holding out for him. A magical cure-all apparently... He sniffed it cautiously. "And you say your _friends_ journeyed on an epic quest to fetch it?"

"Yup." Sarah nodded, thrusting the vial in his face. Jareth did not look convinced. "You can't even scratch your ass without giving yourself a nosebleed. Just drink it." She scolded.

Jareth's mouth curled into her least favourite smirk - somewhere between smug, and pompous, yet also verging into flirtatious territory. "Why, Sarah..." He chuckled. "Am I to believe that you care for little old me..?" Sarah missed the hopeful tinge to his voice, reading it instead as sarcasm. _The twat_ , she thought.

"Don't flatter yourself, Goblin Jerk. I can't keep squirrelling you away here. It's giving me palpitations!" She seethed. "Do you know how stressful it is trying to hide you from everyone? While you can't even disguise yourself?" She'd thought up a handful of excuses should Irene or her father walk into her room unannounced. But they were all terrible at best...

"And here I thought you _enjoyed_ my company." Jareth tsked, his face turning imperceptibly more rosy. Every time he thought he was making progress, she dashed him time and time again. But why should he care?! Oh yes, of course, that was why - because he'd been **made** to.

Jareth felt a surge of anger towards Sarah for the fact. He had no choice in the matter. It was pure evil, and what was worse? She didn't even know she was doing it! His anger faded quickly, overcome by remorse. Forever he would be her slave, it seemed. Unless she got bored of him. Maybe then he could vanish into the aether as she forgot about him, and finally get some peace!

"Jareth, stop being a drama queen." Sarah hissed, forcing the vial up to his mouth. He twisted away, but Sarah wasn't taking no for an answer. "After the hell you put me through, you owe me. Drink. Now!" She ordered.

Jareth's lips twitched, fighting her command - and promptly fell open in defeat. He made a gurgling choking sound as Sarah tipped back the vial in an instant - she wasn't taking any chances.

"Feel better..?" She watched him swallow it with a pained expression.

The King of the Goblins gave her a murderous look. "If I hadn't opened my mouth, would you have held my nose, wench?!" He might've been hopelessly in love, but that didn't change the fact that she was insufferable!

Sarah smirked. "I would've, yes." Jareth snarled before turning into an owl. He promptly flew out of the open window, knocking over one of her figurines in the process. Sarah's smirk widened. "Feeling better, then..." She nodded.

 

* * *

 

Two weeks had passed since Jareth had left Sarah's room in a hissy fit. Two blissful drama free weeks. Well, until she had to brainstorm for her actual drama class, that was.

Sarah sighed, flicking the pages of their assignment brief over. They had to find a book and turn it into a short play. Her friend Emily looked over as Sarah scowled at the page. "Think of anything yet?" Emily was shorter than Sarah, sporting warm brown eyes, and sandy hair. Her frame was the frame of a lithe dancer, and Sarah envied how much chocolate the girl was able to eat without gaining some much as a pound. Apparently ballet and modern dance were hardcore calorie burners.

"No." Sarah pouted. Before she could say another word, Toby began screaming in the other room. "Oh for crying out loud..." She hissed. Toby screamed louder, and her friends gave her a curious look. "Irene's doing that 'leave them to cry' thing..."

"Seems a bit evil." Kirin chuckled. His hair was a shock of black. Though at present it was hidden under his sport's cap, it was styled in a very punk persuasion most of the time. His eyes were uncharacteristically blue, contrasting vividly with his dark skin. He was, quite easily, the most attractive guy in their year (and then some), but he was such a close friend that Sarah saw him as more of a brother, content to roll her eyes and mime a finger down her throat when the other girls flirted with him.

Sarah couldn't hold back an equally loud scream as Toby continued his whine-fest in the other room. Small banging sounds meant that he'd gotten out of bed (again) and was now throwing things around the room. "God!" Sarah huffed, getting less empathetic by the second. "I wish someone else could take care of that brat—" Sarah's blood ran cold. Oh god. No. No no no, not again..!

"What's wrong?" Emily asked as the colour drained from her friend's face.

Sarah was about to speak when music suddenly erupted the next room over. Jumping to her feet, she raced out of her room and down the hall, ripping the door to Toby's almost off its hinges.

What she saw could only be described as chaos.

Goblins filling nearly every corner of the room. One swinging off the lampshade. One climbing the curtains.

Jareth was belting out something about a 'magic dance', except Jareth's head was not on his body, instead floating around the room, much to Toby's delight. Atop the Goblin King's shoulders was a Firey's head, cackling as it nipped playfully at her brother's neck and cheeks, it's body headless and dancing with the Wise Man.

Toby was having the time of his life. Sarah was not.

"I have company..!" She hissed, her stomach twisting in dread, and her hands in her hair. Two pairs of footsteps echoed behind her.

Jareth barely looked fazed, but within a millisecond all the goblins had raced into cupboards, or drawers. The Firey snatched it's head off Jareth's shoulders before joining the Wise Man in the wardrobe.

Sarah grabbed the King's head, just as her friends rounded the corner, sticking it back on his neck.

"Um... Who's this..?" Kirin asked warily. Sarah felt any anxiety start to ebb away; at least they hadn't seen anything. She floundered, unable to think up a plausible excuse as yet more anxiety replaced any short-lived relief.

"Babysitter." Jareth grinned as Sarah failed to speak. "Apologies, love. I should have informed you of my arrival..." Sarah tried to keep her face neutral - it so very badly wanted to glower.

"I thought Sarah was meant to be looking after the kid..." Kirin narrowed his eyes.

"Did you?" Jareth's eyes looked strange for a moment, and the boy blinked in confusion.

"I mean... _No, you're right, I think Sarah mentioned you before..._ " He nodded.

Sarah looked aghast between the two of them. Emily seemed to be eating it up, too - whatever it was Jareth had done... "Could you give us a minute..?" Sarah asked of her friends. Once they left the room, her fists were clenched at her sides. "What the fuck was that?!" She whispered.

"Now now, Sarah... Such **language** is unbecoming of a lady—" Sarah interrupted then with a snarl. "I just used a little magic. It was quicker than waiting for  _you_ to think of something..." He winked. "We could've been here _all day—_ " Another snarl from Sarah.

"Have you done this before?" She narrowed her eyes, her expression dangerous. Jareth nodded, still bouncing Toby up and down in one arm. "How can I be sure you haven't been doing that to **me** all along?" She hissed.

"Because you're not like those peasants." Jareth said very seriously. "It's easy to manipulate _them._ But not you. Besides, I tried that already, remember?" Sarah did. That peach would haunt her forever by the looks of things.

"Thanks, I guess..." She huffed, folding her arms. "If that was a _compliment_ , I mean."

"It was." Jareth winked.

"You can't call my friends peasants either." She added.

Jareth sighed petulantly.

 

* * *

 

Jareth had followed Sarah into her room, Toby perched on one hip. Sarah couldn't believe how well her brother was behaving for the Goblin King. She reasoned after a while that he'd probably been brainwashed too.

Sarah sat back down on the large poof pillow on her floor. She laid out the assignment plan, pouting again. "I wish I could make this easier..." She muttered.

Jareth smirked. "I believe I can help." The pencil in Sarah hand snapped. Jareth suddenly looked younger again, but her friends (and even Toby) hadn't noticed.

She really had to stop voicing her wishes...

Kirin smiled in relief. "Well, we need to find a book that we can turn into a stage play. Nothing super long, but we're struggling..."

"Yeah, Sarah's not letting us touch **any** of her books!" Emily chuckled, eager to tease her friend.

Sarah grumbled something that sounded like 'sticky fingers' and 'bent spines'. Jareth tittered.

"Perhaps _this_ one..?" He held aloft The Labyrinth with one hand. Sarah suddenly jumped up, making to grab it, but the Goblin King was having none of it, holding the book out of her reach with ease as Toby clapped and laughed.

Emily then plucked the book from his hand, and both Jareth and Sarah glared at her in unison. "Oh wow... Handsome King, ordinary girl..." (Sarah scoffed.) "Stolen baby!" She then pointed at Toby and laughed. "Magic, dwarves, goblins... Oh wow, we **have** to do this one—"

Sarah panicked. "I really don't think—"

"Oh yeah!" Kirin was beaming. Sarah gave Jareth a murderous look. "Sarah, you can play the girl." Jareth snorted at that. "I think _I_ could play a dashing Goblin King—" Jareth fixed the boy with a glower. " _Except I'm not tall enough, it should be Jareth..._ " He suddenly added, causing the fae to grin. Always with the magic, Sarah thought bitterly. He'd probably planned this all along!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See! I bet you thought I'd abandoned this ;)
> 
> • Comments/Kudos always appreciated, dusted with sugar, and promptly nibbled...


	8. Hands Magic Hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sarah. How could you..?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait! ;o;

When Sarah's friends (finally) bid her farewell, Sarah shut the door, turning to face Jareth. "Very funny..." She hissed.  
  
Jareth followed her as she stormed through the house, Toby still balanced on his hip. "You did ask—" He chanced. Toby clapped his hands, interrupting.  
  
"Magic dance!" He squealed. Sarah spun around to glower at the pair of them. Toby went silent, mid clap, and Jareth gulped.  
  
"Yeah, but you didn't have to— " Sarah paused, her face turning pink in her rage. "Goblins. In the house, Jareth. Goblins!" She threw her hands in the air. Did the man not think before he acted?!  
  
Jareth was silent a moment before answering. "Anyone would think you were ashamed of me, Sarah." He tsked, averting his gaze. Sarah felt a pang of guilt; she hadn't meant it like that at all. And who knew the man was so sensitive anyway..?!  
  
"It's just... I don't like surprises that's all." Jareth didn't look convinced. "Oh, stop pouting. I'll make tea?" Before Jareth could interrupt Sarah arched an eyebrow. "Without metal this time?"  
  
Jareth rolled his eyes, a grin pulling his mouth up at the corner. "Twist my arm, precious."

Toby continued to clap to himself, determined for an encore. "Magic dance!" He cried, giving Jareth a reproachful look. The man squinted, poking his tongue out playfully. Sarah fought to keep the smile off her face. There was nothing cute about that at all.

"Stop brainwashing the brat, and get in the kitchen." She hummed, heading in that direction.

"I'm not. We have a _rapport_. Don't we, Jarethkins..?" Jareth bounced the child who was laughing happily.

"His name is Toby." Sarah spun around, her face serious. "To. By." She enunciated it sharply. When Sarah turned around, she found herself growling when Jareth whispered _'Jarethkins...'_ petulantly under his breath. "And stop pulling faces. If the wind changes, it'll stick like that."

Jareth bristled. "I was not making faces, Sa. Rah." He spat, mocking her. _"Making faces..."_ Jareth repeated wearily, shaking his head. "A King is above such nonsense, I'll have you know..." Sarah turned around just in time to see Jareth holding Toby aloft while he crossed his eyes, an inane expression twisting his face into something rather grotesque. Sarah forced herself not to laugh, making a strange sort of trumpeting sound at the back of her nose instead.

"Just. Sit down and keep out of mischief." Sarah padded across the kitchen to get a suitable mug for the King. She picked up one of Irene's. "Queen Bee" it read. Sarah grinned to herself, filling it with water. Quickly, she placed it into the microwave before Jareth could see it, and went about filling her own mug.

"Magic dance!!" Toby looked close to tears now, his tiny chubby hands batting Jareth in the face. Jareth was barely fazed, smiling his usual impish smile.

"Sarah, can you dance..?" The fae tittered. Toby gave her a tearful look.

"Well..." Toby sniffed, nose dribbling. "Fine, but don't laugh." She put the microwave on then, heating up the water. Sarah then jumped when music erupted out of nowhere.

"You remind me of the babe."

"What babe..?" Sarah asked, perplexed.

"The babe with the power."

"What power..?!"

"The power of voodoo..." Jareth was dancing on the spot, his hips jerking from side to side.

"What are you talking about..?" Sarah squinted.

The fae made a grumpy noise, his groove thrown off. "No Sarah, that's where you say 'Who do?'..."

"If you wanted me to be specific, you could've handed me a script." She narrowed her eyes, fed up already. Toby started sobbing, his pudgy face red and tear streaked. "Oh fine... Who do?" She snarled.

"You do." Jareth's impish smile was back again.

"Do what..?" Sarah chanced.

"Remind me of the babe!" He sang, and Toby was now clapping.

When Jareth burst into song, Sarah shook her head, going back to the microwave. Luckily for Jareth, she completely missed the part where Jareth threw her baby brother into the air, narrowly missing the ceiling fan.

Once the tea was done, Sarah added sugar, and made sure to stir Jareth's with a plastic spoon. She set everything down on the table, relieved that the fae had finally finished dancing. He could make anything look suggestive... 

"Well now I know what you got up to while I was searching high and low..." Sarah squinted blowing the hot contents of her cup.  
  
Toby clapped again, his face the picture of excitement as one of Jareth's hands detached, crawling over the top of his head, before racing across the kitchen table.  
  
"I take it the Fireys taught you that..?" Sarah took a sip before pursing her lips. Not as bad as her first attempt making tea, but still not great. "Pretty creepy if you ask me."  
  
Jareth smirked. His hand however slumped dejectedly. "Actually, _I_ taught _them._ " Sarah blinked, clearly not having expected such an answer. The hand on the table 'looked' between the two of them.  
  
"Put it back on..." Sarah shuddered, glaring at the thing; with the black glove, it looked like a spider. And it crawled like one too. A sudden thought raced through her mind before she could stop it, and Sarah blushed imagining those fingers creeping across her skin. Sarah felt another chill down her spine - disgust was what that was. Yes. Disgust, surely.  
  
"Anything for you, Sarah." Jareth made a grab for it, but the hand clearly had other ideas. It made a dash for Sarah - Jareth was always stuffing poor lefty down those tight tights of his. Rubbing things. Hard things that soon became moist! The life of a dominant hand was tough. "Hang on..." Jareth stood up, trying to cut it off, but to no avail. The hand scuttled up Sarah's arm, hiding behind her neck.  
  
"Get it off..!" Sarah screamed, standing up. Her hands flapped in the air, alarm setting in. "Get! It! Off!"  
  
Toby began clapping again. This was fun!

 

* * *

 

Jareth groaned, holding the ice pack to his now reattached hand. In its panic, the sentient creepy crawly had accidentally grabbed a certain part of Sarah's budding anatomy.  
  
And she had thrown it verily to the ground, and stomped on it.  
  
Toby thought it was hilarious. Jareth did not.  
  
"Wench, I need that hand—"  
  
"And I can guess just what for." Sarah hissed, waving a metal pair of tongs in the man's face. So help her, she'd pinch his nose if he got fresh again!  
  
"Sarah, as talented as I am, I am not ambidextrous." Sarah glowered. Surely he wasn't suggesting..? Sarah gripped the tongs tighter.  
  
_Just give me a reason, you pervert..._  
  
"The handwriting of my goblins is indecipherable." Jareth clicked his tongue. He then tilted his head. "Sarah, my dear... I expect yours is rather lovely." Sarah narrowed her eyes, nodding. "Good. I have a job for you... Or should I say... Several hundred thousand..."

Sarah arched an eyebrow, and Jareth stared. "No, but by all means, continue being cryptic." She tutted.

"Kings write a lot of letters." The fae rolled his eyes; he was not cryptic!

"And there I thought you could use **magic.** " Sarah smiled sweetly, her voice the sort of tone one would take with an especially dumb child. "Can't you just enchant a quill to do it for you?" She then smirked, knowing full well that she shouldn't continue, but doing so anyway. "Or did I strip that power too?"

Jareth's face was turning scarlet. **_"You."_** He scoffed, nostrils flaring. Oh, that cheeky little— He had half a mind to— "Says the brat who, I might add, wished her baby brother away, not once, but **twice!** " Sarah's lower lip jutted out in a scowl. "And she lectures me. Oh that is rich, Sarah."

"Why do you have to be such a—"

"What?" Jareth had placed Toby down on the table, his hands now on his hips. "Such a what, young lady?!"

 **"Such an old man!"** She pointed a finger at him, cheeks aflame. "Sometimes I think you're cool, and then you backtrack like some—"

 _"Old man..."_ Jareth wasn't even looking at her, his face now sheet white.

"Jareth—" Sarah sagged when the Goblin King vanished on the spot, tea forgotten. "God _sake..."_ She picked up Toby who immediately started crying.

 

* * *

 

 

Jareth growled, fed up. He'd been stupid - absolutely daft to hope that maybe—  
  
It didn't even bear thinking about. She was so— and _he_ was... Jareth inspected his crows feet in the mirror before hissing with rage. Sarah, that brave, smart, beautiful slip of a thing. The very picture of youth. And him?  
  
Jareth hummed sadly to himself, back at the mirror again. "Old man..." He whispered. Too old for her. Too grizzled. Of course for a fifteen thousand year old man, Jareth looked pretty good. But next to Sarah... "I could be her father..."  
  
"Or her grandfather..!" A squeaky voice piped up.  
  
"Or her GREAT grandfather!!!" Another laughed.  
  
Jareth pouted, glaring at his reflection. _"Get out..."_  
  
"Or her great great GREAT—"  
  
_**"I SAID GET OUT!!!"**_ The fae hollered, throwing his best right boot at the goblins who dared invade his private quarters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to play with the nickname Jareth calls Toby in the novelisation (that makes my heart go doki doki because this lonely idiot loved that baby omg).
> 
> kins:  
> a suffix denoting affection; a term of endearment.
> 
> And in reference to Jareth's wandering hands... There's a mention of goblins in Froud's "Goblin Companion" that can take off THEIR DICKS AND STORE THEM IN BAGS??? (The dicks are sentient too and ravish goblin maidens...)
> 
> Thought it'd be funny if other appendages could come off - much like the Firey's can. And if you're curious if Jareth's wang can be detached?
> 
> Yes. Yes it can. He prefers to keep it where nature intended. Last time it ended up in the soup. It was awful. The soup was very hot.
> 
> • Comments/Kudos if you read this far XDD <3


	9. Diamond Dogs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not everyone in the Williams household likes Jareth...

It was when Sarah was having trouble rehearsing that she called on the Goblin King again. He'd got them into this mess after all - he could jolly well do some work for a change.  
  
They always seemed to get just shy of the peach fiasco, and then Sarah would make an excuse to get water, or Jareth would complain that a previous scene needed reworking. Which suited them both.  
  
Jareth was sprawled across Sarah's bed, absolutely exhausted. Sarah kept asking what her motivation was - but how was **he** supposed to know?! She'd been the damned Girl for crying out loud. Why she couldn't just draw on previous experience was beyond him.  
  
It was when Sarah opened her bedroom door, and something white and fluffy dashed straight for him that Jareth shot up, balancing on the canopy of her bed like some deranged vampire.  
  
Merlin continued to bark at him.  
  
"You don't like dogs..?" Sarah laughed.  
  
"They do not like me." Jareth clutched at the now creaking canopy. When he pointed a finger, Merlin growled. "SEE!"  
  
"Dogs only hate _bad_ people." Sarah chuckled, pulling at Merlin's collar. He continued to size Jareth up, making soft snarling sounds.  
  
The Goblin King then gestured to himself with one hand.  
  
"You're not a bad person— Merlin. Sit." She commanded. The dog immediately ceased, turning to face her with a dopey look - not unlike Ludo, Jareth thought. "Good boy." She patted his head, and the beast's tail began to wag. "Come on down; he won't bite."  
  
She rolled her eyes when Jareth mumbled what sounded like _'bullshit...'_ as he climbed down. Merlin started growling again, and Sarah chastised him one last time.  
  
**_"No."_** her voice was low and firm, and the dog then gave up, sniffing curiously at Jareth. The fae startled, his knees aquiver. Sarah could scarcely believe it; she had never seen him afraid of anything before. "It's probably because he didn't see you come through the front door." She tried to reassure him. "He's very protective; aren't you, Merlin?" Sarah smiled, scratching him behind both ears. The dog's tongue flopped out, and his tail began bashing happily at the carpet.  
  
_Lucky dog_ , Jareth thought bitterly.

 

* * *

  
Jareth agreed to accompany Sarah to school the next day. She wanted this chapter of her life closed as quickly as possible - and the only way to do that was to pass her drama class, and have Jareth erase everyone else's memories after. Then things could _finally_ get back to normal.

Sarah realised the irony there. Her whole life had been spent dreaming of far off realms, and magical creatures. And now that her life was full of those, she was complaining! Her younger self would surely have kicked her for being so Grown Up...  
  
Once her drama class had started (and once Sarah had calmed down from watching Jareth assimilate without question) she found herself noticing something as the Goblin King scribbled away beside her.

With his gigantic black vulture quill and lilac ink.  
  
He was left handed.  
  
And his handwriting was absolutely gorgeous. Her eyes followed the movements as he looped the L's, and crossed the T's. She startled when he suddenly appeared almost nose to nose with her.  
  
"It's very rude to stare." He grinned. Sarah made a scoffing sound, turning her eyes back to the movie.  
  
Every so often their teacher would treat the class, and their hard work, with a movie - but they had to deconstruct and write a short essay about it while they did.  
  
Sarah was probably the only girl in the class who couldn't stand this particular film.  
  
**_'The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love, and be loved in return.'_**  
  
She rolled her eyes at the cliche of it all. Yeah, because everything in your life was meaningless unless you had a man to make it all worthwhile... "Garbage..." She muttered quietly to herself. Jareth continued to scribble, not noticing the boy to his right who was watching him.

"Don't you own a pen..?" The kid whispered, clearly trying to make some sort of joke on the matter. Sarah paled when she realised who was goading the Goblin King - it was only the cute guy she'd invited to her birthday. The same guy who'd called her Sandra, and said lied about how busy he was.

A stupid teenage part of her brain still kind of liked him - if only for the shallow reason that he was a looker. His personality was worse than Jareth's.

"Who uses feathers to write with - we're not in the middle ages." The boy continued to snort to himself, a few others around him sniggering. "Hey. I'm talking to you—"

"Sarah, what _is_ that nagging whine..?" Jareth muttered, not taking his eye off the page. The class fell silent - Rory usually got away with this kind of low-key bullying, if only for the reason that nobody wanted to get involved in any _further_  drama if it wasn't being graded.

"Hey—"

"Oh, there it is again." Jareth looked up, completely ignoring Rory, as if searching the air above them. "Mosquitos can be such pests..."

"Oh, you think you're so funny—"

WHACK.

Jareth had rolled up his parchment, and smacked the kid across the nose with it like one would do with a misbehaving dog. Not that he was practicing for if Merlin rounded on him again. _Heavens no..._

"Got it." Rory sat there in disbelief as Jareth unfurled his parchment and began taking notes again. Sarah held back a snort - along with half the class.

The teacher didn't seem to have noticed a thing. Then again, the movie was getting to That Part, and almost everyone who cared was deeply engrossed. With any tension now gone, the few remaining stragglers turned their attention to the screen as well. Rory rubbed the bridge of his nose, glaring at Jareth, and then at Sarah, who was still smirking quietly to herself.

 ** _'Come what may. Come what may. I will love you, until my dying day.'_**  
  
Jareth looked around the room; every girl was swooning or on the verge of tears. Except Sarah. He thought before that serenading her would prove his devotion. But it was clear that songs were not the way to her heart. Sarah liked to feel clever; not patronised, put on the spot, and made a spectacle of.  
  
Besides, he'd tried that already, and it hadn't worked. Actions spoke louder than words, after all. He said he'd be there for her as the world fell down, and he would. But he would have to find some other way to prove that to her...

It was when Kirin was off-handedly chiding Sarah after class that Jareth's figurative feathers became all a-ruffle. "Can't believe you asked that d-bag to your birthday party. That would've been insufferable..."

"Well you didn't show up either." Sarah rolled her eyes. "Or you." She squinted at Emily.

"I told you, I couldn't get out of ballet class!" The other girl whined. "But I'll totally make it up to you. How about we all go out for pizza after school. My treat?" Jareth stared, perplexed. What on earth was pizza..?! "You can order as much as you want~" She then tempted Sarah, who never could say no to a free meal.

"Well..." Sarah chewed her lip, watching Kirin pull urgent expressions from behind Emily. "Oh, go on, sure." She laughed.

 

* * *

  
Jareth was snoozing during their last break in a sun dappled field behind the drama building, Sarah's Labyrinth book over his face. The only problem with that was that Jareth's glamour didn't work if he broke concentration. Sarah was taking a well earned rest too, laying on her side, and going over the notes for her chemistry class. She saw Jareth flicker out of the corner of her eye, and shook him awake before anyone could see.  
  
"Change back! Change back..!" She'd squeaked. Jareth was about to remind her that he could so easily change the memories of everyone around them - but then where was the fun in that..?  
  
"And what is it _worth,_ precious..?" He grinned up at her, going limp as Sarah tried to drag him to a nearby bush.  
  
"I won't kill you; how's that?" Sarah growled. She then tensed when a pair of voices called out from behind them.

"Hey Sarah!" Kirin.

"Break's nearly over!" And Emily.

"Damn it..!" Sarah tried to shield Jareth, glaring down at him. "One favour. To be called upon at a later date. Now change back!!!" She hissed at him like an angry goose. Jareth grinned, his clothes and hair becoming altogether average again.

 

* * *

 

It was the whispers that caught Sarah's attention the most. Whispers only served to make one listen more intently, and Sarah was sure she'd heard her own name amongst them.

_'Totally sleeping with him...'_

_'I can't believe it.'_

_'Said she was terrible in bed.'_

_'I always though she was a bit like that.'_

Sarah felt as though her heart had stopped. Lies - who had told such lies?! She raced past a group of sneering girls, unable to ignore it when they pointed and jeered at her.

As she turned a corner, she bounced off someone. "Sorry..." She whispered, distracted. Looking up she realised then who it was. Another group to her right chorused the word 'Slut!', and Sarah put two and two together, making five. _"You."_ She felt sick.

The class bell rang, and everyone around them made their way out of the corridor, leaving Jareth and Sarah alone.

She waited until all the laughter stopped. The fire in her veins reached her ears, turning them pink.

So he thought just because he could erase everyone's memories later, he could use the opportunity to boast? To tell such disgusting lies?!

"I was wrong." It felt as though someone had slapped her. "You **are** a bad person."

"Sarah—"

"I thought I could trust you. I thought—" His perplexed face made her even angrier.

"Sarah, I don't—"

"I never want to see you again." She felt hot tears prick her eyes when Jareth disappeared seconds later.

 

* * *

 

Of course it was during her next class that Sarah learned the truth.

Apparently it had been Rory who had spread the rumour about sleeping with Sarah - not Jareth.

He'd turned her down her birthday invitation; but that was when he was still pining after a different girl. When she didn't return his feelings, he set his sights on Sarah again.

Except this weird new Amish kid had caught her eye instead - and humiliated him to boot.

In a fit of jealous entitlement, he'd decided to lie about the one sure fired thing that would hurt Sarah the most.

And the King of the Goblins had done something in a rather knee jerk response as soon as he'd figured it out.

After all, Sarah had only said that _she_ didn't want to see him again. And true to her wishes, he'd made sure that she didn't bear witness to what he had planned.

"I mean, **we** all knew it was a lie." Kirin went on. "But everyone else believed him."

Sarah almost felt physically ill. _"Everyone..?"_

"Well, they don't anymore." Emily continued. "Jareth pantsed him in the main hall in front of everyone. Turns out Big Rory isn't so big after all..." She chuckled, turning pink.

"It was a fucking chode!" Kirin laughed raucously. Sarah snorted a little, shaking her head. "No one believes that you slept with him now - they all know he made it up to sound better than he was. Everyone's talking about it!"

"They are." Emily nodded. "He's the biggest joke in school."

Sarah thought she was a better person - but the schadenfreude she felt when Rory walked past them, unaware of the sign on his back that someone had stuck there declaring him a—

"SHRIMP DICK!" Someone behind her yelled.

Rory blushed pure puce, pushing past a gang of music students as yet more insults were shouted after him.

Sarah had waited until she found an empty classroom, and summoned Jareth. A part of her worried when he didn't appear right away - an irrational fear that her words had indeed erased him from existence.

But Jareth was there soon enough, pulling what looked like a roller out of his hair. "Sarah..?" He hadn't expected her to want to see him for a while at least.

"You asshole." Jareth jumped a little when Sarah hugged him. "I was wrong. You're not a bad person."

"I'm a _little_ bad..." Jareth objected softly.

"No you're not..." She was laughing as she pulled away. "I mean, you did something mean - but I guess it was for a good reason—"

"I hexed him." Jareth blurted out.

Sarah stared blankly. "You what..?" She whispered.

"I was so— he lied, Sarah. Was content to drag your good name through the mud. To—" Jareth's cheeks were scarlet. "He had to **pay.** "

"Are you saying..." Sarah had a vague idea - but he _couldn't've_ —

"I took off five inches. Seemed like a fair enough punishment." Jareth sniffed. "Also, he has Bog breath now." He added.

"Bog breath..." Sarah whispered, eyes wide.

"He'll die alone." Jareth added, trying to cheer her up with a nudge to her arm. "All I did was make the outside match what was within—"

"You're a bad person." Sarah interrupted. And to her own horror she felt a smile stretch across her face. "But I can live with that..."

"You can..?"

"Yup. You're a good friend..."

Friend. Jareth liked that. He'd never been anyone's friend before...

So this sudden feeling of happiness was what Hoggle and the rest of her friends must have felt.

Truly wonderful.

"Now c'mon, we're gonna be late for the last lesson. Then pizza?" She smiled.

"Then pizza..." Jareth beamed, following Sarah. "What _is_ pizza..?"

 

* * *

 

Jareth grumbled around the cheese as it failed to snap, pulling away in messy strings. "Why does it fight me?!"  
  
Sarah held back a snort, opting to roll her eyes instead. "Perhaps it enjoys the challenge." She held up a knife, severing the cheese. Jareth tsked. "You're welcome." She added.  
  
"You act like you've never had mozzarella before." Kirin smirked, eating his pizza with practiced ease.  
  
The King of the Goblins gave the boy a blank look. "Is that what this wretched rubber is? Sarah, you said this was pizza!" He then frowned when the table erupted in laughter. Peons!  
  
"Do you live under a rock?" Emily laughed.  
  
"Only for my larval stage." Jareth shrugged, sounding serious. Everyone burst out laughing again, and he huffed, throwing his pizza slice back onto the plate.

Sarah however stared in horror. He was kidding, right..?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That goblin book by Froud and Jones is a gold mine... Apprently some goblins have larval forms, and the idea of a squishy ugly larva with Jareth's head was too funny to pass up!
> 
> Also Sarah seems a bit evil, but remember how she goaded poor Toby at the start?? She's totally got a mean streak ;p
> 
> And of course Jareth is madly in love with her - but the idea of being friends makes his heart soar too. None of that friend zone bs mentality in MY fics B)


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